Do I have LSD? If not what gear oil should I use

[Pathy415]

I have a 2wd 99.5 pathfinder and want to know if I have LSD because I plan on changing the differential fluid and what to know the correct type of fluid to use. Would 75w90 work and about how many quarts?

I tried to take the fill plug off but it was to tight so I'm probably going to use a larger breaker bar.

Thanks in advance!!!

[Chuck Tribolet]

What does your owner's manual say for quantities and spec?

To tell if you have an LSD, jack both rear wheels off the ground, put it in neutral, and turn one rear wheel by hand. If the other
rear wheel turns the same direction, you have LSD. If the other rear wheel turns the other way, you don't have LSD.

[Pathy415]

I haven't had a chance to use your method Chuck but I took a look at my manual and it says 75w-90 for the transfer case (which I don't have) and 80w-90 for the differential, however, I have heard people using 75w-90 for the differential.

So is there a big difference between 75w90 and 80w90? I live in mild climates where it rarely gets above 80 deg.F.

Thanks!

[miamiheat3332]

not really 75-90 an 80-90 is basically almost the same thing, im pretty sure i put 80-90 in my front and rear differential, maybe it was 75-90 dont feel like looking at the bottles in the garage, but it was mobil1 full synthetic gear oil that i used, if i recall right it was like 2 and a half bottles for the rear, maybe a tad more, and the front one was like 2 bottles.

[Pathy415]

OK I went to Lowes and picked up a bernzomatic torch kit. I have my 24" x 1/2" breaker bar and will use the electrical tape method.

Hope I don't strip the plugs.

[Towncivilian]

Hell, I'm gonna try a bunch of PB Blaster, a hammer, and a 25" breaker bar with electrical tape before even thinking about heat... doesn't help that my fill plug is already slightly rounded, but that's why I bought new plugs.

[Pathy415]

Well, I'm going to try the breaker bar/electrical tape method and if that doesn't work, it's torching time.

[Towncivilian]

You may want to try a $5 can of PB Blaster and a hammer first, I've read that works somewhere (I forgot where :/). Soak the plugs in some PB Blaster a few times, and tap the plugs with a hammer and that supposedly frees them, leaving you with the breaker bar with electrical tape to hopefully get the bastards off. I'd also invest in some new plugs in case you strip them to hell accidentally.

[Pathy415]

That makes sense, the tapping with the hammer may free things up. I have some Liquid wrench and WD40. I can't remember if that stuff is flammable or not so I'll be careful if I end up using the torch method.

Thanks for the tip!!

[Pathy415]

Tried the electrical tape/breaker bar and hammer method but it didn't work. It looked as if there was some type of thread sealer or loctite on the threads so I went the torch method and it freed the plugs up like butter.

Thanks for the help!!!

[Pathy415]

So while changing out the diff fluid I also lubed the grease(zerk) fittings on both ends of the driveshaft. In case people haven't done this before I took a pic (crappy) of what they look like. They're on both ends of the UV joints.

Jack the rear up, release parking brake and put the car in neutral (engine not running, I think key on the 2nd position) and spin the driveshaft until you can see the fittings. Remember to play it safe!! Use wheel chocks, jackstands, safety glasses, etc!!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20632192@N07/5443215705/

[Pathy415]

Here's the pic

[miamiheat3332]

do you have to pop off the covers and then they are there? i think mine just has covers on all 4 of those when you spin the driveshaft.

[Pathy415]

I bought the truck used so they didn't have covers when I looked at them. I basically cleaned them off so I could see the spring loaded bearing in the middle and then greased them up

[Towncivilian]

I saw a 3M mini butane torch thing at Walmart for $15. Will that suffice to free up my plugs?

[Pathy415]

I'm not to familiar with torches since this was the first time I've ever used one. I bought this from Lowes for about $27.00 and it was real simple to use, self-lighting. I basically torched it for about 45 seconds to 1 minute and it came out with the breaker bar. The torch you mentioned might be a bit small but it may work.

Here's a pic:

[Chuck Tribolet]

If it's really butane, that $15 torch won't be all that hot.

Butane isn't as hot as propane.
Propane isn't as hot as MAPP gas.
MAPP gas isn't as hot as acetylene.

I wouldn't bother with a torch that wasn't MAPP gas. Acetytlene is a bunch more expensive (and needs oxygen too), and unless you
need to gas weld or cut, MAPP gas is fine. And gas welding and cutting has been pretty much replaced by MIG/TIG welding, plasma
cutting, and water jet cutting.


Chuck